American Go E-Journal

The Boulder Kids and Teens Go Club celebrated its tenth anniversary on Easter. “Dave Weiss and I are both Jewish,” says Paul Barchilon, who co-founded the club with Weiss, “so we had no idea it was Easter when we scheduled our first meeting, back in 2004. A few kids actually did show up though, and since then, we have grown and thrived. We still try to celebrate each anniversary with cake – it is a kids club after all.”

“We are proud of all of our students, and even though not everyone sticks with it, we love introducing the game to kids who have never heard of it. The library has been an integral part of our success – promoting our events, giving us resources, and letting us store equipment there. We play in a very visible area, so passersby often stop and ask about go, and many of them end up learning to play.”

This year’s cake was decorated with Junior Mints and Mentos (right), and is pictured with three longtime veterans. Kellin Pelrine 6d (left) first came to the club when he was 11. Now 18, he gives stones to almost everyone at club. Matthew Harwit 5d (in red) and his twin brother Nathan 4d (in green) both started around the age of 8. Many kids have come and gone over the years, and the club has at times attracted as many as 30 players in a given session.- photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor